City Of Delusion
by miss insufferable know it all
Summary: AU at the end of HBP. Four strangers that seem to have special abilities are found in a strange situation. Who are they? Why aren't they in any record... at all? SS/HG
1. Prologue

Hello There! This is the first story I publish here (I write a lot of things, but this is my first upload). this is the only thing that;s written and organized so far, so _if_ I get feedback on this story, I will continue. Feedback comes in the way of reviews, favorite story, you know the thing. I really won't continue this if nobody's reading it :/

Don't worry if it's a bit vague at the moment, things will eventually clear out.

Read and Review please!

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Can I believe  
When I don't trust  
All your theories  
Turn to dust  
I choose to hide  
From the all seeing eye

Destroy this City of Delusion  
Break these walls down  
I will avenge  
Justify my reasons  
With your blood

**Muse - City Of Delusion**

* * *

"For the last time girl, what is your name?"

It seemed that nothing Special Agent Larson did was affecting this girl.

The girl had sat there for two hours now; arms crossed, eyes on the table and mouth sealed shut. He'd tried everything. Negotiating didn't work; nor did threats. And they weren't idle threats either; this girl was in deep trouble. Even the Good Cop/Bad Cop act didn't seem to work.

And nothing worked on the other suspects too. He didn't interrogate the three males: one man and two adolescences. But his colleagues had, and he had observed the interrogations. It was as if they had all made a pact to just sit there with their mouths shut.

It was disconcerting; it wasn't that they didn't want to say anything in order to protect _themselves. _No, they just didn't want to say anything at all; not an uttered breath passed their lips in case _all_ would be discovered.

The girl kept her silence and moved her gaze to the wall. It was almost as if she found something interesting about them.

Larson sighed. This was getting tiring and to be honest, boring. The day had begun perfectly well; he woke up, had a nice breakfast with his family, kissed his wife goodbye, and drove his daughter, Rachel, to school. It had been really good, for several reasons actually. Mainly because Rachel actually said goodbye with a smile today after he dropped her at the school, which meant she wasn't angry with him anymore.

He knew she didn't have a right to be angry – he was perfectly reasonable in forbidding her going to that party the other kids were having which was probably swimming with drugs and alcohol – but he didn't mind. As long as she was safe he didn't mind receiving the cold shoulder for a week or so. And, today was the first day in since he was promoted before Christmas, which made the day very much anticipated.

All in all, it was a great day right up until he got a call from the local police. Three unconscious men, one of them dying, were found in an empty coffee shop at twenty second street. Empty except for a group of four: One male Caucasian probably in his early forties, and three teenagers, one girl and two boys.

Of course, they weren't interrogating them just because they were there and were helping with their inquiries. No, the main reason they were being questioned was the security camera videos. But their continual silence was intriguing.

The videos didn't tell them anything explicit, but they provided certain views. One of the videos showed one of the boys – the red headed one – with his back turned to the camera facing one of the victims. Initially it seemed like a fight, which wasn't that much of a problem, but then something weird happened.

At one point, the victim facing the boy was thrown across the room by something the boy apparently shot at him. He hit the wall, collapsing to the floor motionless. At first, the victim seemed dead – he was lying there with his eyes wide open, not a single motion - but after checking his vital signs, he was alive. His heart, lungs, circulation, brain, everything was working perfectly, but still, the man was motionless. It seemed like an opened eyed coma, but the doctors said they had never seen anything like that before.

But the most bizarre thing of all was that when the four suspects were searched, nothing was found with them; nothing dangerous that is. They didn't have a pistol on them, but still; something the boy did made the man in front of him fly and hit the wall.

The other two men were found in a similar condition, except that one had more injuries. He had several gashes on his body as if he had been slashed with a sword. Of course, no sword was found.

Larson thought he would try a different strategy - and there wasn't much left to try.

The silence was the most foremost issue, so he thought to probe that.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you afraid to talk? Do you believe that something will happen to you if you speak?"

Again, the silence.

"You know, there's something I don't quite understand."

The girl snorted, and really, she had a point; there were many things he didn't understand in this situation.

"By the look of you – your cloths, your appearance even your demeanour- you seem like a well raised girl, very much educated I would wager. And how unusual it is to find such a girl in a situation where she is accused of attacking, even attempting to murder three men."

The girl, as usual didn't give him much response, so he just carried on.

"Do you know any of the men you attacked?"

He noticed her switching her gaze to the table again, which gave her away.

_So, she knows them._

"And there's something else," he continued in his nonchalant tone, "How did you come to meet your little gang?"

She looked at him with a cold stare and smirked.

"You have to admit, you _do_ make an unusual group."

The girl looked back at the walls.

"Are the other kids your siblings?"

Nothing.

"The man… is he your father? An uncle?"

Silence.

"Is one of the boys perhaps… a boyfriend?"

Again silence. He didn't want to say what he said next, but honestly, the situation was suspicious.

"Or maybe… the man?"

He noticed the flinch. It was as subtle as a bull in a china shop but still silence.

_Well, that's interesting…_

He was just wasting time. They didn't have names, they were waiting for their pictures to be run by the computer. Normally that didn't take long for a single city, or even a state. But they didn't have a state. They were nowhere to be found in New York, not a single file. So they had to widen the search to the entire damn country.

But this piece of information is definitely interesting.

"Girl, are you even of age? The man is like what? Forty?"

This time he definitely had a reaction. She uncrossed her arms and frowned at him resentfully. Good. If he could push her just hard enough, maybe she'd say something…

"And you've just given me another thing to ponder. Now why would an innocent girl like you be involved with an older man?"

Yes, the anger was definitely building up. She frowned even more; her stare full of loathing. OK then, keep going.

It was for a reason that he was assigned to this girl. He was very persuasive; excellent at extracting information. The man had proved to be impossible. A face like stone, not a single emotion seeped through. Every question was met with silence, complete cold silence; sometimes a malicious sneer. He didn't like that man. He looked utterly bored which maddened him the most.

The ginger boy seemed to have an ability to absent himself completely; like he wasn't even there. He just stared ahead, seemingly hearing _nothing_ the interrogators were saying.

Now, the other two...the curly haired girl and the boy with black messy hair...were different. He really hated referring to them by their hair's appearance, but currently there was no other option. Gradually, as time passed, they became restless, started looking around, and eventually, he felt they would break if pushed.

But that's it: if pushed.

They needed something to push them to breaking point, something that would make them spill everything.

And now he had it.

He usually didn't mind playing these games with suspects; after all, that was his job, and he loved his job. But this case was different; he rarely dealt with teenage girls as they were seldom accused of anything this serious. She was his daughter's age, and at the moment he thought of her as a victim. Young girls don't usually attack people in coffee shops, and now this strange relationship she seemed to harbour with that man…

But he had to.

"Hmm?" He ground out. "Now what could he possibly offer you? How did you come to know him? Family friend? Boss? Teacher?"

Flinch. Yes. Good.

"Oh teacher, isn't _that_ a classic!"

She frowned and blushed crimson. He hated this one sided conversation but he was so very close.

"Now how far does this relationship go, huh?"

She's breathing harder now, he's obviously close now.

"Did he molest you when you were a student?"

Anger was now written plainly on her face. He knew she was dying to deny the accusations against her mister charming, so finally he aimed for the kill.

"Or maybe even younger? Twelve or thirteen perhaps-"

She flew out of her chair in a storm of fury and yelled.

"Shut up! You know nothing about him, he would never do anything like that!"

She was breathing hard after her outburst and seemed to instantly realise her mistake.

She hadn't said what he had expected; he had expected names, locations, and, on a fleeting, hopeful moment, a full blown confession.

But instead, she had given him something that complicated things and added a new complication to this enigma.

The girl spoke in a delicate English accent.

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Can you recognize the characters now? Did you like Larson? Don't forget to review!


	2. The silence after the storm

_Here you go, so sorry for the delay, and for being a small chapter at that :/ I do promise that the next one would be much larger. I would like to point somethings out... What's happening here is at the end of HBP, and some events changed (obviously). Circumstances were from the book, others from the movie, and some I changed myself. So if you see anything odd, it's not ignorance, it's deliberate ;)_

_Immense gratitude for my beta Mrs-HH for her help! _

_A forgotten Disclaimer: I own nothing, everything belongs to JK Rowling._

_Now please Read and Review!_

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Those who are dead are not dead

They're just living my head

And since I fell for that spell

I am living there as well, oh

Time is so short and I'm sure

There must be something more

**42 - Coldplay**

* * *

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

Harry's world swam around him. His hearing grew muffled; like he was underwater. His vision clouded and he felt as if the staircase was closing in on him; like the entire tower is falling…

_Gasp._

It was loud he felt it like a blast.

Snape's wand hand had fallen to his side; his eyes widened and looked away from Harry. Instead he looked at Draco with such astonishment and surprise that it finally hit Harry what happened.

Malfoy had just killed Dumbledore.

It seemed odd that Draco would do it and that confused him because it was, after all, what Harry had been accusing Malfoy of plotting since the beginning of the year.

He also reckoned that Death Eaters would be in the castle by the time they returned from the cave. He had warned Hermione and Ron about it, asking them to reassemble Dumbledore's Army.

He'd expected all of this to happen. So why did he feel that way?

But that's the thing; he didn't feel anything at the moment. He must have been traumatised after what he had witnessed but he wasn't sure; he felt so numb.

Something was shaking him by his left shoulder but he wasn't paying attention. The shaking increased and he felt himself being pulled to the side.

Eventually, not wanting to be dragged somewhere blindly, he looked to his left.

Snape looked…strange. Harry had never seen him like that before. He didn't know how to describe it exactly. He didn't know how to describe his own feelings at the moment let alone decipher someone else's emotions from their facial expression, especially when it was Snape - but he could say he looked horrified.

Harry let himself get dragged by Snape. He didn't want to think about not trusting him or how he's a slimy, greasy Slytherin or how he should always be on his guard when Snape's around.

No, right now, the thought that Snape was dragging him to a detention seemed… peaceful. Yes that must be where we are going. He wouldn't even mind those dreadful Occlumency lessons right now. He almost looked forward to cleaning cauldrons without magic. Or even extracting shrew eyes. Yes, the dungeons were a bit cold, but they were much warmer than the coldness that was threatening to overshadow him…

Harry noticed Snape was talking. They were still walking, very hurriedly. He didn't know where they were or where they were heading, but honestly, he didn't care.

_Maybe he's talking to me_, Harry thought as Snape continued talking. He couldn't hear what he was saying, but it sounded urgent.

_Maybe he's talking to himself_, he thought.

Yes, he's murmuring to himself. _He'd probably gone mad. Just like me…_

Snape stopped abruptly and turned to face Harry. He was now scowling; no sign of the horrified expression from a few minutes ago. Or maybe more than a few minutes; he didn't really know.

Snape started talking again, but still Harry couldn't hear him. He knew he was staring dumbly at him; he wouldn't have done on a normal day. But this wasn't a normal day.

_SLAP! _

He hadn't expected that.

At first he thought something had exploded beside his face, but then he saw Snape's palm move down to his side. Pain in the form of heat started spreading across Harry's left cheek and he realised, finally, that Snape had slapped him.

And with that slap everything came into focus at an alarmingly fast rate. It was like the entire time his head was held under water, and only now had he resurfaced. Voices...loud, loud, voices came rushing in and his head hurt. His vision cleared and he finally felt self-conscious for the first time since those words were uttered.

Dumbledore is dead.

He felt sick. A knot was forming his stomach and it hurt so bad that he hunched his shoulders in agony. He felt as if his heart was being ripped to pieces. It was the Department of Mysteries all over again.

But it was even worse, because now he didn't have Remus to hug and console him. He had Snape yelling in his ears about Death Eaters approaching and pulling himself together or he'll get the lot of them killed.

As the Death Eaters approached from around the corner, Harry raised his wand and thought of only one thing. He felt very, very angry and he had a dozen Bellatrix to Crucio.

* * *

The best that could be said for the journey back on the Hogwarts Express was that it was a long ride home.

Ever since the events at the end of term their conversations had been subdued. Chitchat and small talk was out of the question, as was talking about plans and Order business; the walls had ears and they didn't trust anyone.

They had reached a crucial decision the day after Dumbledore's funeral: Hermione and Ron were to help Harry with the Horcrux hunt. They had to plead but eventually Harry relented. Although Hermione wasn't so sure he would let them; sometimes she thought he'd pack his stuff and leave on his own. She had to keep an eye on him.

Hermione had put some books in her shoulder bag: Just three books; but they were heavy books: _Transfigurations on Clothing and furniture_, _Extension Charms from A to Z_ and _Cover Your Steps: A Reference Book on the undetectable Art_. And they were not just for light reading purposes; she was doing research.

She didn't know when or how they were going to start their search for Horcruxes but she very much hoped Dumbledore had provided Harry with a plan. So she had decided to dedicate her summer to doing something that could prove to be a great help to them on their search: creating a bag with an undetectable extension charm.

In addition, the books served a great purpose on this journey; avoiding the awkward stifling silence that was sure to be in their compartment. If the rest of the group didn't mind supporting Harry's desire to stay quiet all the time, they could knock themselves out. But she was not going to spend five hours staring blankly at the walls or surveying the landscapes.

The silence went for a whole hour until Ron asking "Whatcha reading there Hermione?" and received a cold stare to end that conversation.

Hermione was half through the Transfiguration book when Ginny broke the peace. "When do you think they're going to hold another Order meeting?"

Everyone put down what they were doing and looked at Ginny, which – except for Hermione – wasn't alot. Harry looked away from the window, Ron stopped eating his finger nails and Hermione put down her books. Harry seemed to know the answer.

"Kingsley said at the funeral that it would be sometime in July but it wouldn't be before they move me from my aunt's house."

Everyone flinched at the mention of the funeral and Hermione was surprised at Harry's casual mention of it. Lately they had been very careful not to mention anything to do with Dumbledore, the Astronomy Tower or Malfoy in front of Harry.

"When are they going to move you?" asked Ron

"They didn't set a date so it wouldn't be leaked," answered Harry as they passed under a tunnel.

_They didn't set a date so Snape wouldn't leak it,_ she thought.

"Do you think Snape will be there? At the meeting?" asked Hermione in general after a while of silence.

"I guess so," said Ron. "That'll be tense."

Ginny didn't seem to understand. "Why would it be tense?"

"It's obvious isn't it?" said Ron smugly. "Half the Order will be accusing Snape of killing Dumbledore."

Frowning at Ron's inconsiderate mention of Dumbledore's murder in front of Harry, Hermione answered Ginny's confused stare.

"That's how things were in the Hospital Wing after what's happened," explained Hermione. "Some Order members said they saw Snape drag Harry down the stairs from the Astronomy Tower after Dumbledore's murder. They said that…"

Hermione hesitated as she looked at Harry who had gone back at looking out the window, listening but not participating in the conversation.

"They said that Harry looked a bit… weird. Dazed. Some thought that Snape had confounded him or even Imperioused him."

"In short, they thought I was a child or an idiot. They didn't believe me when I said Malfoy did it," said Harry bitterly.

Hermione couldn't disagree. But she thought that their assumption was based on another ground; they simply didn't trust Snape. They never had, and probably never will, especially that now Dumbledore, who had Snape as his right hand man, was dead.

She hated that no one on the Order trusted Snape. How smug they must feel to think they outsmarted Dumbledore who entrusted Snape so blindly.

She couldn't help herself. She had to say it. "I _told_ you Snape was on our side."

She said it while looking at Ron, but everyone knew that it was aimed at Harry.

"Just because he didn't kill Dumbledore doesn't mean he's on our side." Harry said.

"He fought on our side against the Death Eaters in the castle," replied Hermione in a slightly louder voice.

"Doesn't mean anything. Maybe he's saving his own skin," Harry said in a steady, low voice, still looking out of the window.

"How would he -"

"Look, I don't want to talk about it," interrupted Harry finally looking at her. "I said I saw Malfoy kill Dumbledore, but I still don't trust Snape."

_And you probably never will. Just like the rest of them._

Half an hour passed while Hermione crossed her arms over her chest scowling, wondering why Harry should get away with being rude just because he was upset.

"There's still something that I don't understand." Everyone looked at Harry. "That day…when I was walking with Snape away from the tower, he was mumbling something but I couldn't hear what it was."

He paused for a while. "But a couple of days ago I kind of remembered what he was saying. He was muttering that Dumbledore's plan had failed; that it wasn't how things were supposed to work out. He kept saying that Malfoy shouldn't have done it, that it wasn't his job; something about his soul. Then he realised that I was there and kind of snapped out of it.

"What do you think that means? What was Dumbledore's plan? How were things supposed to work out?"

That's odd thought Hermione. She never thought Snape was the kind of person to mumble things to himself, and certainly not in public.

Hermione sighed. "I have no idea."

That was the end of the conversation, until the Hogwarts Express arrived at King's Cross station. Hermione realised she hadn't read as much as she'd intended and spent most of her time on the train, just like everyone else in the compartment, lost in her own thoughts.

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_You've read, now go ahead and review!_


	3. Gatherings and Confrontations

...Sorry for the long wait, but hotmail had a thing for me and Suze...

Anyway, here's a new one, and a big one at that. All the thanks to my beta who beta read this even though she was busy, she's the best.

Read and review please!

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He looks as if he hasnt slept, his hair is purposely unkept  
And then he knew his people wept, when you crafted your plan  
The shadows underneath the eyes, and everywhere the bastard lies  
My lack of Proof is your disguise, you won't remember me.

**Plastic Tramp - Arctic Monkeys**

* * *

A cold breeze came from the window next to Hermione's bed, sending a shiver down her spine. She wrapped the covers firmly around her, urging herself to go back to sleep. After half an hour she resigned herself to consciousness, threw back the covers and got up.

Hermione looked at the colourful calendar that was set on the wall next to the door and crossed off another day. Today was the twenty seventh of July. Only five days to go.

She was neither excited nor anxious to start their wild goose chase around the country, but it was necessary and honestly, she couldn't wait another day to leave the Burrow. Their entire stay here had become meaningless and a huge waste of time, but above all, it was exceedingly annoying. There wasn't a day when an Order member didn't question them about their plan, or the assignment that Dumbledore had set for them; offering to help. The most irritating questioning came from Molly. Just yesterday when Hermione was cleaning the dishes after dinner, Molly had practically backed her against the wall while interrogating her. She only escaped her clutches when Ron came in and pulled his mother away.

But sometimes they were so hard to ignore – not Molly though. Sometimes Hermione would look into Remus's eyes and consider _what if he can help us? Maybe he'll have a plan? Maybe if I convince Harry…_

It wasn't that Hermione was wavering; she had committed herself to this cause and to Harry. She had Obliviated her parents and sent them to Australia, she was doing extensive research on Hocruxes and to discover who R.A.B might be but she kept hitting brick walls . She just needed to add the final touches to her beaded bag with the undetectable extension charm which would prove invaluable while they were on the hunt.

But they were ploughing head first into the unknown and that was something Hermione didn't usually do. It unnerved her that they hadn't a single idea where they were going, where to find the original locket, where to search for the others, what the other Horcruxes might they be, and how to destroy them.

It seemed that every time they think they took a step ahead, they take five steps backward. They hadn't planned anything so far, nothing of much importance. They had decided not to go to school next year – it wasn't much of choice, it was kind of obvious - and they had shown Harry The Ghoul that would be dressing up as Ron when people will come to the burrow searching for him.

And to make things even gloomier, everyone thought they had some sort of cunning successful plan that Dumbledore had provided them with. The Weasleys and the other Order members thought that all that time they were spending locked up in Ron's room was spent plotting, when all they were doing was reciting facts and unanswered questions and trying to ignore the elephant in the room.

The elephant was the fact that they were _utterly lost._

She was fully dressed, folding her pyjamas on the now made bed, when there was a knock. The door opened and in came Mrs. Weasley. Hermione was slightly unnerved by the fact that she unconsciously took a step back. It was ridiculous. Mrs. Weasley loved Hermione, and it wasn't like she threatened her that day in the kitchen, but she still felt a little intimidated.

_You won't stand a chance in front of full-grown Death Eaters if a nosey housewife can intimidate you_.

But it wasn't like Mrs. Weasley was a harmless housewife; no, sometimes she thought she could take down Voldemort himself if he happened to put his elbows on her dinner table. Maybe she should tell her after all.

"Oh you're up, Hermione dear, I just came to rouse you and Ginny for breakfast." She started putting clean folded clothes on the made bed and continued talking hurriedly.

"Arthur and Bill just left for work, Fleur is having a bath and the boys are downstairs having breakfast. Remus will be coming shortly, why don't you join them dear? Ginny darling, wake up it's almost noon. Oh look how tidy your room is dears, why couldn't Ron keep his that way…? "

Hermione entered the kitchen to find that Remus had already arrived and was sitting at the table talking with Harry and Ron.

"Good morning" said Hermione as she sat next to Harry and filled a plate with scrambled eggs.

Remus returned her greeting and Ron said "Did you hear that Hermione? There's an Order meeting today."

Hermione waited until she had swallowed her mouthful and then asked. "Really? When?"

"This afternoon," answered Remus, who was drinking a goblet of Pumpkin Juice. "I know a lot of Order members have been coming here rather frequently, but this will be an official meeting. Kingsley said he had some information from the ministry that he wanted to share with us, and Severus said he had some information himself."

Hermione was surprised, and asked cautiously, "Oh Professor Snape is coming? Where is he staying anyway?"

Hermione had been worried for a couple of days; she knew that Snape had disappeared after the battle in Hogwarts, and not with the Death Eaters. She knew he had been ignoring Voldemort's summons, which must be excruciatingly painful. She wasn't sure what made him take that decision though.

"A few places," Remus told her. "He stays at my place every now and then, and I've suggested a few other places where he won't bump into any Death Eaters. He's also goes to a few places I don't know about. God knows what it's like to have a bounty placed on your head by them."

"I don't understand," admitted Ron. "Why's he hiding? I mean was his cover blown somehow? Did You-Know-Who discover something?"

Remus sighed and put down his goblet. "He didn't tell me much. He said that You-Know-Who only found him useful whilst he was at Hogwarts. Now that Hogwarts will soon be his, other Death Eaters would replace Severus's role. I guess he feels he would be more effective on our side now that he's not in You-Know-Who's good graces."

"But couldn't he have just played along?" enquired Hermione. "I mean he could have just acted to be on the Death Eater's side at Hogwarts and still get us information from the other side."

"I don't think that would have worked," Remus replied. "He told me that for months now other Death Eaters were trying to set him up. Bellatrix Lestrange never trusted him, and she always tried to push him away from You-Know-Who's side and now her nephew has accomplished the task set for him, she's definitely risen a couple of steps above the others. She'd have been whispering in You-Know-Who's ear that Severus was a traitor and shouldn't be trusted. The most sensible thing for him to do was align himself with one side...ours."

"What good is that?" Harry asked acerbically. "He won't be able to give us any kind of information and without that what use is he?"

Remus grimaced. "Harry you always underestimate Severus's capabilities. He's more than a spy. He's a potions master, a hell of a duellist and an expert in the Dark Arts. He will prove to be a great help for the Order."

That caught Hermione's interest. For the last couple of days she had been pondering who might be the best person to aid them when the time came. Who better to know how to kill a Horcrux and find the next one but Snape? And who knows Voldemort better than Snape on their side? Harry always said that Dumbledore never kept all his secrets in one place. What if Dumbledore had told Snape something that he hadn't told Harry? It was almost a certainty. If anyone loved keeping people in the dark about their own business, it was Albus Dumbledore.

But it wasn't her choice to make or her secret to share. Harry had yet to share his secret with anyone but her and Ron, and she wasn't about to betray Harry's trust.

She sighed as she got up to wash her plate in the sink. It would be a while before Harry would tell anyone, let alone Professor Snape.

Hermione turned around as the kitchen door opened and couldn't help the surge of disappointment she felt when it turned out to be Tonks, but smiled at her nevertheless. Tonks came in and stood next to her husband who was standing just by the sink having a conversation with Bill. Hermione was sitting between Harry and Ron on three chairs against the wall near the kitchen table. They stood out as the youngest there. Nobody could say anything about it though other than the fact Hermione and Ron were already seventeen with Harry's birthday only 4 days to come. And he was Harry bloody Potter. Nobody could question his attendance at the meeting.

She felt a surge of sympathy for Ginny though. Whilst Mrs. Weasley couldn't forbid Harry, Ron and Hermione joining in, she put her foot down in Ginny's case and refused.

But there was something else troubling Hermione. Remus had said they hadn't specified an exact time for the meeting and by six o'clock Snape still hadn't shown up. Normally Hermione wouldn't be concerned. It wasn't her place, and she sometimes thought Snape liked to arrive fashionably late, but circumstances were different now. He could have been attacked by a Death Eater or Voldemort found him himself. He could have been run over by a bus for all she knew.

A man sitting next to Moody cleared his throat. Hermione recognised him as Auror Barnes, a middle aged man with thinning blond hair and a scar marring his left cheek. He leaned on the table to say in a slightly loud whisper "Don't you think that we should start the meeting? It seems that everyone has arrived."

The question was directed at Kingsley who was sitting opposite him at the kitchen table. Kingsley put his hands in front of him on the table and answered in a quite voice. "Not everyone. There's one person still to come."

"And who might that be?" asked Barnes. A lot of people tuned in on the conversation, all apparently impatient to get the meeting over with.

Kingsley seemed uncomfortable and said to his hand "Severus."

"Of course it would be Snape…"

"Oh would you give it a rest Barnes, we've already talked about this!" snapped Remus.

"And I still think you're all idiots for trusting him," spat Barnes.

"I personally find no reason not to trust Severus."

"You shouldn't trust anyone," was the only contribution Moody was willing to make.

Remus sighed and looked at the room in general. "Look, Severus have been helping us since the Order of the Phoenix has been reincarnated for the second war, He's no less an order member than I am. He's helped us in many aspects, other than bringing us information, even potion brewing, just the other day…"

But Remus had stopped abruptly seemingly realising a big mistake. Everyone looked at him in confusion, but Moody seemed to be on to him.

"_What_ happened the other day?"

Remus looked uncomfortable, but gave a resigned sighed and then puffed his chest confidently. "He supplied us with a several portionst of Polyjuice Potion."

There was no confusion about the implications of this statement. The kitchen literally exploded with yells of indignation.

"That was classified information. You know we only informed a certain number of Order members about Potter's transformation so the information wouldn't be leaked." Mad-eye's tone was steady and calm, even though he looked pretty upset. But he wasn't nearly as upset as Auror Barnes.

"Where the hell did you expect me to get seven portions of Polyjuice Potion with two week's notice?" asked Remus going on to the defensive.

"_Snape_?" Barnes seemed to have had enough and was directing all his fury on Remus. "Of all the people that you chose to confide in, you chose _Snape_? Any other skilled Order member could have brewed the potion, but you chose to endanger all of us by telling the most dubious person that ever graced the Order!"

Hermione inwardly snorted at Auror Barnes's obvious lack of knowledge in the field of potions making. _Really, can just anybody be an Auror? _Just five minutes into the meeting and Hermione had decided that she didn't like Barnes. She couldn't warm to him. Hermione took a breath and opened her mouth to enlighten him, but Bill was faster than her.

"A Polyjuice Potion needs at least a month to be brewed so no order member could have brewed it on such a short notice. And buying such a large amount from an Apothecary would have attracted suspicion, especially at the moment. I think Remus's decision was wise."

Remus nodded gratefully to Bill and spoke. "Severus is a very capable Potions Master, and he was kind enough to supply me with a batch he'd brewed earlier."

Hermione couldn't help the snort that escaped her this time, but thankfully no one noticed, not even Harry and Ron. She doubted Professor Snape was kind about _anything_, especially when it came to Remus. She wondered what lengths Remus had to go to get Snape to agree to supply the potions. She decided that she didn't want to know.

Barnes on the other hand didn't put much effort in concealing his derision. His face became serious, and asked accusingly "And did you tell him why you needed the potion?"

Remus definitely looked uncomfortable now, and shrugged. "Well…"

Mad-eye shook his head. "You shouldn't have. Whether we trust Snape or not, we specifically ordered that no information was to be given to any Order member who is not directly involved in the transportation."

"Yes, but the plan worked, and we got Harry here safely, so obviously Snape didn't tell anyone," said Mr. Weasley.

Hermione smirked at the reactions of the other Order members, who were not participating in the debate. As each point was made they went from shooting accusing looks at Remus, to ''He has a point' expressions as Barnes spoke.

Barnes looked like he didn't have anything more to say but he still looked furious. It was Tonks who steered the discussion back to the question of Snape's loyalty.

"Dumbledore trusted him for years..."

This immediately caused an uproar.

"And where is Dumbledore now?" interrupted Barnes, his voice definitely higher. "Six feet under the ground."

The room went silent for a few seconds then Kingsley spoke quietly. "You can't say Severus had anything to do with Dumbledore's murder."

Barnes leaned back into his chair. "You can't be so certain."

Hermione glanced at Harry and noticed him flinch. This seemed a good time to intervene.

"Harry has already told you that Malfoy was the one that murdered Professor Dumbledore, and you all need to decide if you trust Harry's - and by extension Dumbledore's - judgement or not."

Hermione inwardly gave herself a pat on the back at such a brilliant retort. She was surprised by her eloquence as she had definitely not rehearsed it, but she knew at some point Harry's words would be questioned.

And her interjection worked; Barnes snapped his jaw shut and leaned back in his chair, and everyone else just dropped the subject. No one wanted to be the one that doubted the saviour of the Wizarding world' credibility or capabilities. Harry smiled at her gratefully and she smiled back patting his leg.

Just as the tension in the room was starting to fade and conversations were renewed, the kitchen door opened and in came the subject of the recent argument.

All conversations ceased and silence descended on the kitchen at the Weasley household as Severus Snape entered. He stood by the door surveying them all, his lips curling gradually as his eyes travelled from one Order member to another. Hermione wondered why everyone was so quiet still, but then again shock usually has that effect.

He looked like _shit_.

His hair was messy and more greasy than ever. His cloths were dishevelled. It looked like he had worn them for several days in a row. There were dark shadows underneath his eyes; it didn't look like he'd just had a sleepless night but rather he hadn't slept in days, maybe even weeks. Tiredness emanated from him in waves as he walked to his chair in a far away corner. There was even a limp in his stride.

Before he reached his seat, Remus, who was the first to get over the shock of seeing him, approached Snape. He put his hand on Snape's shoulder and asked in hushed tone, "Severus, how have you been?" Unfortunately as you could hear a pin drop in that kitchen, everyone present heard what he said.

Snape looked at the offending hand on his shoulder. He snarled in disgust, which made Remus pull it back to his side. He gave Remus an icy look that could freeze fire, and didn't even grace his question with a reply. He ignored him completely and continued walking to his seat.

Remus stood awkwardly, in the middle of the kitchen and then gingerly went back to his seat, his ears turning as red as Ron's usually did. He sat next to Tonks who patted his hand.

Hermione felt sorry for Remus. He really was trying very hard to win Snape's trust, but to no avail apparently. He didn't seem to think ill of Snape for turning him down time after time, and neither did Hermione. People didn't usually forget long time fears and downright hatred in just a few months, and if anyone could hold on to a grudge for life, it would be Severus Snape.

Kingsley cleared his throat. "Now that all Order members are here, I think we should begin…

"We have called you here today, because there we have information that we want to pass to all of you." He scanned each of the members, and Hermione noticed that his eyes lingered on their corner.

"We need to be careful. We have obtained information from the Ministry, and from different departments and it is clear to all of us that the Deaths Eaters are slowly controlling the ministry, sticking their fingers into every department and section. So, apart from the Ministry workers attending this meeting, it is unwise to put your trust in other ministry officials. We no longer can tell the good from the bad, and even the good ones are simply too scared to act against them.

"I have received a tip off from a friend of mine that the ministry is funding a committee that will be made official at the end of the month. If this turns out true, it would restrict our movements and endanger some of our members. Although this committee will aim to force all Muggle-borns to be registered, I don't think that is its only goal."

Tonks looked very troubled. Hermione wagered that she was scared for her father. "What do you think is the ulterior motive?"

Kingsley shrugged helplessly. "It could be anything. Interrogations, imprisonments, and maybe even more."

Murmurs started around the room. This definitely was bad news.

Just as Kingsley finished, images flooded Hermione's mind: Aurors dragging people out of their houses, terrified children hold up in cells, Interrogations laced with Veritaserum…

A hand touched her elbow and Hermione looked to her left to see Ron smiling reassuringly at her. "It's OK, I'll say you're my cousin, then they can't do anything to you."

Hermione smiled at him. Ron could be really sweet sometimes.

"Is that all Kingsley?" Remus asked in an attempt to change the topic.

"There is something else. We also heard some news about the appointment of the new Headmaster at Hogwarts. Although no names were mentioned we can be sure it wont be he Deputy Headmistress."

The kitchen, for the umpteenth time, descended into an uncomfortable silence. They all lowered their heads looking pensive, and Hermione chanced a look at Harry. He had a pained look on his face, and was twisting the hem of his shirt. Her heart went out to him.

"I have heard some names."

It was the first time Professor Snape had spoken since he entered the kitchen, and Hermione was startled. For a moment she had forgotten he was even there. As he drawled his sentence, everyone looked up at him, and he responded with a sneer as his eyes moved from one face to the other.

"Minerva would definitely _not_ be filling the position," he said as if even the assumption was the ludicrous. "Some people say Lucius Malfoy will be appointed, but I doubt it; he is on the Board of Governors and therefore could not be the Headmaster. Besides I highly doubt The Dark Lord would be rewarding the Malfoys any time soon."

This confused Hermione for two reasons, but she wasn't going to say anything. Instead Tonks spoke. "Why would You-Know-Who be rewarding anyone? It's the Board of Governors that appoints the Headmaster isn't it?"

Snape looked at Tonks like she was a complete moron.

"Are you deaf? Didn't you just hear what Shacklebolt said? The Dark Lord is gradually controlling the bloody Ministry of Magic, is it too hard for him to be controlling the Board that contains half a dozen Death Eaters as well?"

Tonks' hair turned bright red in anger, and Hermione noticed that she was clutching Remus's hand furiously under the table. Remus looked like he was in pain.

Snape stood up and started walking slowly around the room. His hands were fastened behind his back, and Hermione noticed that for some reason he was now walking properly.

"And before anyone asks, The Dark Lord wouldn't be rewarding the Malfoys anything because the murder of Dumbledore only ensured they would still be alive, but he still angry at them."

He stopped and turned to look at Tonks and Remus sitting at the table and sneered at them. "Moreover he is angry at the Blacks, namely Narcissa and Bellatrix for their niece married none other than a Werewolf…"

Now it was time for Remus to turn red in the face, and before any one of them could reply Snape had turned and continued walking.

"Several other names were dropped…mostly for diversion, but I think the correct name-or perhaps names- is the Carrows."

Heads turned and some of the Aurors seemed to recognise them, but Hermione had never heard that name before.

"Two Headmasters at Hogwarts?" asked George.

Snape didn't even look at him. He continued circling the room. "Of course not," he spat at him. "I suppose one would be Headmaster, and someone has to fill in the Defence position."

Hermione noticed how bitterly he spat the last bit.

"How about Muggle Studies?" asked Ron. His ears turned red when everyone looked at him. "I mean the Daily Prophet says that Professor Burbage had been missing for quite a while… wouldn't they want to replace her?"

"I don't think they would still be teaching Muggle Studies in Hogwarts now Ron," said Mr. Weasley.

"Don't be so sure," said Snape. "They might still teach it, but I doubt they would educate you on refrigerators and electricity."

Hermione noticed how Mr. Weasley's face lightened up eagerly at how fluidly Professor Snape spoke the last word.

"They would probably be filling your heads on how filthy Muggles are. Oh and… Charity is dead."

Nearly everyone flinched but no one looked surprised. A lot of people went missing these days, and for some reason, everyone was aware of their fate would turn out.

"I learned from a source that attended a meeting the Dark Lord had arranged. He even said-" Snape looked like he wanted to collect himself before he continued. "He even said that the Dark Lord fed her to his snake."

Hermione felt bile rising in her throat. Professor Burbage had only taught Hermione in third year, but she still knew her, and knowing that the woman she saw almost everyday at breakfast and dinner for the past four years was treated to such a horrible end made her feel empty inside.

"You have a source among the Death Eaters?" Barnes suddenly asked.

Snape sneered at him. "A source that I'm not willing to expose."

Barnes looked extremely put out, but didn't have anything else to say. He sat back quietly.

Hermione inwardly smirked. _Behind his back he snarls and questions, but when Snape is in the room, suddenly the cat's got his tongue. _Hermione wondered why she was glad that Barnes feared Snape.

Snape turned to Mrs. Weasley and said serious. "This is important. It is imperative that you not send your children to Hogwarts this year."

He turned to address the others. "Tell any parents you know; Hogwarts isn't safe anymore, and if you send any children, you might be sending them to their deaths. The Carrows are a couple of idiots; completely dimwitted, but they are ruthless. Detentions would turn into tortures and they're not afraid to use the Unforgivables. Umbridge will seem like a angel compared to the Carrows."

Although this didn't concern Hermione - they had already decided not to attend school this year - she dreaded the first of September. Not all students would be notified, and some would be scared not to attend. If a red headed Ghoul in a blue pyjamas could replace Ron, what would Ginny do? What would Luna or Neville or Seamus or anyone else do?

Professor Snape had seemingly finished giving his information and turned around to walk back to his seat. He sat watching everyone behind his black curtains of hair.

Meanwhile, quiet conversation came back, and Hermione heard Mrs. Weasley whispering frantically to Mr. Weasley "That's settled then, Ginny won't go this year, but what if they came knocking at the door? How can we hide her?"

Mr. Weasley interrupted her, and put a reassuring hand around her shoulders. "Don't worry Molly there's always somewhere, always someone we know… We can keep her at Bill's or even at Aunt Muriel's."

This didn't seem to calm Mrs. Weasley much and flinched at the mention of Aunt Muriel Mr. Weasley laughed and rubbed her shoulders. "Just kidding dear."

Mrs. Weasley visibly relaxed and sighed giving him a small smile. "Oh, you're right of course."

Hermione didn't know who aunt Muriel was, but she didn't seem like a family favourite. She made a mental note to ask Ron later.

She wondered how could they make such a decision about Ginny's future when they hadn't even asked her. But she inwardly inwardly cringed as she had no right to judge these people on how they protected their child when she herself had obliviated her parents - adult and mature parents - without them even knowing.

Shrugging and wondering why the hell had she been eavesdropping on Ron's parents, Hermione looked around the room. She noticed that people were shuffling as if they were getting ready to leave. She looked at Snape and realised that he had noticed too, but there was something else. He looked livid, and Hermione had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Snape stood up so fast he actually startled some people. He walked towards the kitchen table and stood in front of Remus who looked confused.

"Is that it?" he spat. "You called in a meeting to gather round and share some gossip?"

Remus actually recoiled into his chair after Snape's outburst, but Barnes, now sitting next to Remus, replied acidly "_We_ thought we could share information-"

"You thought?" Snape's voice was getting higher as he whirled on Barnes, and everyone was looking at them. "I highly doubt it. Did you think we could defeat the Dark Lord and round up all the Death Eaters while having a cup of tea and biscuits? Is that your fucking big plan? Are you an idiot?"

Snape was literally screaming, something Hermione had only seen a couple of times. Barnes shrank deeper into his chair. "We didn't mean..."

"Your meaning is immaterial." His voice suddenly dropped and although icy it still travelled around the room. "Only a fool would trust that a bunch of dunderheads such as yourselves would have the ability to win any war, and such a fool I turned out to be."

He looked back at Remus, "Don't contact me until you have all got your heads out of your arses."

And with that Snape turned t left the room in a swirl of black robes leaving a dumbfounded crowd behind him.

If anyone had bothered to look at Harry, Ron and Hermione, they would have laughed their ears off. Mouths hanging open, all three of them stared at the door well after Snape had left.

Hermione was shocked for several reasons. Firstly, she had never seen Professor Snape lose his temper like that. Even when he was dealing with Harry, his voice was never raised, and he always hissed his insults. Although Hermione thought he was downright horrible when his voice was deadly calm, he was another matter when he raised it. For one insane moment, she had thought he would smack Barnes on the side of the head.

And secondly, she had never heard Professor Snape swear. Not that she had ever heard any Professor swear, but still, Professor Snape didn't seem like the type to swear even in the absence of students.

Ron was the first to recover. "Bloody mental!" he murmured. "Off his knackers! Maybe he picked up something where he was staying…"

"Don't be so thick!" hissed Hermione in an equally hushed voice. "He was just angry, and lashed out a little…"

"A little? He nearly bit Barnes's head off!"

"Guys," said Harry in what sounded like a loud voice, his lips twitching. "You don't have whisper, he's gone now."

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